


Unbalanced

by GriffinRose



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bamf Adrien, Bamf Alya, Damsel in Distress Marinette, F/M, I made her horrible in this, I think I tagged them all, I'm Sorry, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, Kwami-napping, Mean Chloé, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Not Beta Read, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 18:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14837097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GriffinRose/pseuds/GriffinRose
Summary: The depths of Chloe's pettiness sinks to new levels when she locks Marinette in her closet in an effort to ruin an important interview for her. The worst part is she takes Marinette's bag in the process, separating her from Tikki.So what is Paris to do when an Akuma attacks and Ladybug never comes? How can Chat Noir and Rena Rouge track her down without a single hint to her identity?Well, finding Ladybug's kwami certainly helps.





	Unbalanced

**Author's Note:**

> So I actually dreamed this entire scenario up and fell in love with it and had to write it down. I just didn't expect it to be nearly 15K words but oh well.

Marinette picked up a few fresh cookies as she rushed out the door, calling thanks and goodbye to her parents over her shoulder.

 

“Good luck, Marinette!” her mama said.

 

“You’ll do great!” Papa added.

 

Marinette smiled and waved and stepped out into the sunlight. For once in her life, she wasn’t running late. She’d deliberately not made any plans with Alya and prayed there wouldn’t be any akumas.

 

Nothing was going to make her late for this interview, not with the representative from the Keady Institute of Fashion Design. Keady was the most elite fashion design school in all of France, and if she nailed this interview today she could have an internship there over the summer. She could work directly under major fashion designers. They’d be able to teach her so much, show her all kinds of secret tricks and techniques…

 

Her knees went weak at the thought.

 

She wasn’t going to blow this interview. So she left early, sketchbook in her backpack, and made a beeline for the Keady Institute. It was on the other side of Paris, but she had plenty of time. She knew all the best shortcuts, after all.

 

What she did not have time for was Chloe stepping into her path.

 

Marinette groaned. Bad enough she had to deal with Chloe during school, but now Chloe was going to torment her outside of it, too?

 

“Oh, hello Marinette,” Chloe said. “I didn’t expect to run into you today!”

 

Marinette stepped back and looked Chloe up and down. That was weirdly nice. Why was Chloe being nice to her? “Hey, Chloe. Nice to see you, too. I’m kind of in a hurry, though, so I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

She stepped around Chloe, but Chloe walked alongside her. “Where’s the fire?” Chloe laughed. “Oh, wait, no, you have your interview with Keady today, don’t you?”

 

How did she know that? Marinette had only talked about it with Alya…and Alya had probably bragged about it to Chloe.

 

Marinette sighed. Sometimes, Alya just didn’t know what boundaries were. Not that Marinette was one to talk…she’d been known to steal a phone or two in her time.

 

“Yes, that’s today,” Marinette said.

 

“That’s so wonderful!” Chloe said, linking her arm with Marinette. “But you’re not seriously going dressed like that, are you?” She turned her nose up in disgust.

 

Marinette looked down at herself. It was her favorite outfit, with hot pink pants, white shirt, and gray blazer. “What’s wrong with this?” Honestly it took effort to pull off hot pink pants like this, and Marinette had thought it would catch the interviewer’s attention.

 

“Girl, these pants are _so_ three seasons ago, and those shoes? I can’t believe you haven’t burned them yet. Come with me, we’re going to get you in something _proper_.” Chloe tugged her down the street.

 

It took Marinette’s reeling mind a few moments to process what was happening. “Um, I appreciate the offer, Chloe, but I’d rather go in this. And I don’t want to risk being late.”

 

Chloe waved a hand. “I’ll have my driver take you when we’re done, don’t worry.”

 

“No, it’s okay, I’d really rather not change right now.”

 

They turned down another street and saw the hotel ahead of them. Was Chloe going to try and dress Marinette in her own personal clothes?

 

“Nonsense, it’ll take ten minutes!” Chloe said. She turned back to Marinette with wide eyes and a pouting lip. “Please? I’m trying to learn to be nicer, and I _really_ want your interview to go well.”

 

Marinette let out a long, suffering sigh. She couldn’t say no to that. “Okay, fine.”

 

“Yay!” Chloe’s pouting lips pulled upward in a smile. She took Marinette’s hand and ran to the hotel, gushing about possible outfit options in her closet for Marinette that wouldn’t clash too badly with her hair.

 

Tikki peeked up at Marinette from her bag. All Marinette could do was look down and shrug. Chloe was making an effort here, and Marinette had given herself extra time. She hadn’t known it would be used like this, but it was par the course for her, she supposed.

 

Chloe’s jabbering didn’t stop in the elevator, or down the hallway, or even in her room. She pulled Marinette all the way to her closet and then shoved her inside. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

 

Marinette gaped at the sheer size of the closet. She’d seen other closets in Chloe’s room as Ladybug, of course, and the fact this girl had more than one closet was a fact Marinette wasn’t going to worry about right now. This one was practically the size of her bedroom. One wall was nothing but racks of shoes. Another held dress and shirts. The third was half pants, and half accessories. Of course there was a crystal chandelier for light, centered over a circular velvet ottoman.

 

“Try this jacket!” Chloe said, pushing a dark green jacket into Marinette’s hands.

 

Marinette tried to keep her face neutral as she stripped off her blazer and set it on the ottoman with her backpack and Tikki’s bag.

 

Chloe threw a pair of pants at Marinette and then turned away for some semblance of privacy.

 

This was ridiculous. Marinette should have just ripped her hand out of Chloe’s grasp and ignored her. Curse her soft heart.

 

“Did you make this bag?” Chloe asked.

 

Marinette whipped around to find Chloe holding her little purse, the one with Tikki in it. Her heart was in her throat and she squeaked as she reached for it.

 

Chloe stepped back. “You did, right? It’s got your little signature here.” She ran her finger over the golden stitching under the clasp.

 

Marinette swallowed. “It’s one of the first things I made that came out well, and I’m a little particular about it.” More particular about the _kwami_ sitting inside that could reveal her as one of Paris’ superheroes, but Chloe didn’t need to know that.

 

“I guess that’s why you never go anywhere without it,” Chloe said. She nodded to herself and turned back to Marinette. “Oh, no those pants are horrible. You know a dress might be better for this.”

 

She ran to the rows of dresses and sifted through them until pulling out a deep blue sundress. “Try this!”

 

Marinette pulled the green jacket off. “You know I really don’t have time to play dress up right now. Can you just pick something?”

 

“This will be perfect, I know it!” Chloe said, beaming at her.

 

Sighing, Marinette set the jacket down and reached to pull her shirt over her head.

 

A lot of things happened in the three seconds Marinette took her eyes off Chloe. Footsteps ran past Marinette, clothes rustled, and then a door slammed.

 

A lock clicked into place.

 

Marinette yanked her shirt back into place and stared at the door. “Chloe?”

 

“Sorry, Marinette! Nothing personal, but the Keady Internship is competitive and I can’t have you ruining my chance here.”

 

Marinette flew to the door and yanked on the handle. It of course had no give to it. She pounded on the door. “Chloe! Open this door! You said you were trying to be nicer!”

 

Chloe laughed. “I can’t believe you fell for that, honestly!”

 

Marinette growled. “Trust me, it will never happen again! Now open the door!”

 

“Later, after I’ve sabotaged your interview. Your little bag will really cinch my disguise.”

 

All the anger in Marinette froze. She glanced back at the ottoman. Chloe had never put her purse back down. She still had it.

 

She had Tikki.

 

The icy terror burned into hot rage. She pounded her fists against the door. “Chloe! Chloe give it back! Now! Let me out of here!”

 

“I already said I would later. Now wish me luck! It’s going to be so hard to pretend to be clueless about fashion, even with your clothes.”

 

She’d distantly noticed her blazer and pink pants missing, but those were so far out of her range of concern right now they might as well be on another planet. What mattered was Tikki.

 

“Bye bye!” Chloe called. Another door opened and closed, and Marinette knew she was alone.

 

Chloe’s penthouse suite was soundproofed, and she’d probably made sure no one was going to come by for a while.

 

And she’d just kwami-napped Tikki.

 

Marinette shrieked and pounded her fists against the door until she couldn’t feel her hands anymore.

 

Then she started pacing. “You better hope I never get out of here. I’ll strangle you with your own clothes.”

 

And God help Chloe if there was an akuma attack while Marinette was trapped in here. If someone got hurt because Marinette couldn’t go out as Ladybug and protect them then she could not be held responsible for whatever actions she took afterwards.

 

Maybe she’d tie Chloe up and leave her dangling from the Eiffel Tower for a few hours. Upside down.

 

She grinned to herself. Without Tikki to temper her angrier feelings, the rage simmered under skin for a while.

 

It only grew worse when the impact of what Chloe was doing, ruining her chance of an internship with Keady Institute, sunk in.

 

Marinette could probably call them afterwards and explain, but who would believe her? “Oh yeah, sorry, I got locked in a closet by a classmate and she pretended to be me to ruin my interview.” That was so believable. No one was actually petty enough to be like that.

 

No one except Chloe, that was.

 

Maybe Marinette could call ahead of time and warn them? No, her phone had been in her back pocket and Chloe had taken her pants. She’d apparently left the phone in her bedroom, though. Marinette could hear the ten minute warning going off.

 

She picked up one of Chloe’s shoes and hurled it at the door. “Stupid!” Why had she trusted Chloe? She never should have gone with her. She’d known Chloe was up to something right from the start. To think she’d actually believed such a lie like “I’m trying to be nicer!”

 

“Just wait until I get out of here, Chloe. You’re going to regret this.”

 

Unfortunately, getting out would not be easy. Even if she knew how to pick a lock, there was no kind of keyhole on this side of the door for her to try. There was no vent in here for her to sneak out of. The ottoman was too heavy for her to pick up and use as a battering ram against the door.

 

All she had were clothes. Useless, overpriced, clothes.

 

She stood there, seething in rage. Her fists shook. In one movement she picked up another shoe and pitched it at the door. Then she threw another, and another. They bounced off harmlessly and made a pile on the floor. She made her way through the shoes, and then she ripped the pants off their hangers and shred them as best she could. The denim she couldn’t destroy, but anything else she tore in two. She did the same to the shirts, and the dresses. The dresses tore the easiest, and were the most satisfying to watch flutter to the ground in pieces. She took all the jewelry and smashed it on the floor, stomped on delicate crystals and bent metal earrings out of shape.

 

She was left panting in a sea of scraps, but it wasn’t enough. She shrieked again, loud, blood-curdling. Useless.

 

Then she collapsed on her knees and put her face in her hands.

 

“I don’t know what to do, Tikki,” Marinette said. Because it was habit to talk to the kwami when they were alone. Because Tikki was always there. Because if she’d had Tikki, she could have transformed and gotten out somehow as Ladybug.

 

But she didn’t have Tikki. She was alone. Alone with no way out, because some bratty classmate couldn’t ever do things on her own merit.

 

She screamed again.

 

Xx

 

Alya’s tongue poked out of her mouth while she worked. She’d been absorbed with updates for the LadyBlog for the last several hours. Nothing special, just general site maintenance and a few quirky formatting issues. But since Marinette had declared herself off-limits today for her interview, Alya figured it was a good day to focus on it.

 

“And…there!” She uploaded the final touch to a new banner, a rotating sequence of gifs of the heroes in action. It looked badass, if she did say so herself.

 

She went through the site one last time, double-checking that everything was still cohesive. Then she texted Nino and asked him to look over it, because a second pair of eyes never hurt.

 

She was reading his feedback twenty minutes later when some kind of earthquake shook her room. It was gone as fast as it had come, and she snatched up her phone and pulled up twitter.

 

Sure enough, there was another Akuma attack. Someone was recording live with a shaky hand, and the image showed what looked like Godzilla smashing through the Louvre.

 

Alya winced. It was a good thing Ladybug was always able to repair the city after these attacks, otherwise Paris would have lost all of its history by now.

 

Godzilla roared and stomped downtown.

 

Alya felt the floor shake beneath her feet. It was coming in her direction.

 

Her father burst through the door. “We’ve got to go, come on!”

 

She didn’t question it, only grabbed her shoes and ran out after him. The twins clung to a parent each and they raced down the stairs of the apartment complex with all the other residents. Outside the building, Alya hugged her family, gave each of them pecks on the cheek, and separated from them. They ran for the bunker with everyone else, while Alya ran towards Godzilla with her phone out.

 

From the outside, Alya knew it looked like her parents weren’t worried about it. In truth, her reckless habits when it came to akuma attacks were a constant point of tension between them. Alya argued that she knew what she was doing and how to stay out of the way, and, more importantly, Ladybug and Chat Noir were diligent in protecting civilians.

 

They argued that just because she’d been lucky so far didn’t mean it would always be okay. An akuma only needed to be lucky once, and they didn’t know if Ladybug’s Miraculous could bring someone back from the kid. They didn’t want to experiment with Alya.

 

She understood and appreciated their concern, but she stated point blank she wasn’t going to stop doing this, and they could try and prevent her but she would keep finding a way. She could either be open about it with them or she could resort to sneaking around. They liked that idea even less, and while she didn’t exactly have their blessing, they weren’t going to stop her.

 

Besides, after joining the superheroes as Rena Rouge a few times, Alya couldn’t stay away. She wanted to be nearby in case they needed her, and she wanted to study the akumas. You never knew when one might drop a clue about Hawkmoth or something else equally useful.

 

The roaring grew louder, and Alya rounded a corner. There, ugly snout howling at the sky, stood Godzilla. It looked like it had walked right out of a movie. Alya started recording on her phone, a live feed directly to twitter.

 

Chat Noir was already on the scene, doing his best to contain such a massive akuma. His extending staff wasn’t much good though. He did jam the beasts mouth open with it for a while though, but it shook its head so roughly Chat went flying.

 

Alya winced when he disappeared over a rooftop. Ladybug’s yoyo was much better suited for containing akumas like this. She must be coming from far away, or was having trouble finding a safe place to transform. Usually she was here by now.

 

Godzilla swiped a paw through the top floor of houses, sending debris flying. It crashed against the ground, crushing cars and smashing through windows across the street.

 

“Holy cannoli,” Alya muttered. “This one might be a little dangerous to watch up close.” It was definitely ranking up there with the most property damage caused. The city really needed to give Ladybug an award for always repairing everything. It probably saved them billions every month.

 

Chat flew back into the scene, smacking his staff on top of Godzilla’s head. It had less than no effect, unless the effect was to make Godzilla angry. In that regarded he exceeded expectations.

 

Godzilla stomped and his foot went right through the street.

 

Chat started climbing all over him, looking for the hidden akuma.

 

“Still no sign of Ladybug,” Alya narrated, “but Chat looks like he’s got everything under control. Wait, no, I spoke too soon.”

 

Godzilla plucked Chat off of him and chucked him up the street towards Alya. He tumbled along the ground until landing on his back.

 

“That’s gonna leave a mark,” Alya said.

 

Chat glanced over at her, eyes widening, and jumped to his feet. “You need to get out of here! It’s not safe!”

 

Godzilla made to prove his point by stomping his way towards them, smashing everything in sight.

 

Chat bounded over to her and pushed her. “Go! Seriously!”

 

“Only if you agree to an interview later!”

 

“Deal, now _go_.” Chat pushed her again.

 

She went willingly this time, walking backwards as long as she could to keep the recording going. Chat leapt out of sight and Alya ended the live feed. News helicopters were already circling the sky, and they’d have better video anyway.

 

She didn’t go too far, only a block or two, before checking the news again.

 

There was still no sign of Ladybug.

 

Xx

 

Marinette could feel the shaking.

 

She’d returned to pounding on the door and screaming her lungs out, willing _anybody_ to hear her. There was an akuma attacking, she needed to be out there! Paris needed her. _Chat_ needed her. He couldn’t purify the akuma when he caught it, and the last thing they needed was another Stoneheart incident.

 

From the way the ground kept shaking, it sounded like a powerful one. They _definitely_ didn’t need more than one of them around.

 

She ran shoulder first into the door, with no luck. She pulled racks off the walls and beat them against the door uselessly. A few scratches were the only damage she could achieve.

 

If Hawkmoth was going to akumatize anybody why couldn’t it have been her? Didn’t she have enough negative energy right now? At least then she’d be out of this stupid closet. 

 

The floor shook again.

 

This was definitely one of the more dangerous akuma attacks. And Paris was down a superhero. Marinette was going to _kill_ Chloe for doing this to her.

 

Xx

 

There had been delays waiting for Chat Noir or Ladybug to show up in the past. They had lives, after all. They didn’t just sit on top of the Eiffel Tower waiting for an attack. It could take them a while to notice what was going on, and they needed to sneak away and transform and then travel to the battle. It could take a few minutes.

 

But Alya had never seen one of them take this long before. With all these shockwaves, there was no way Ladybug didn’t know there was an attack happening right now.

 

And that worried her, because what could possibly keep Ladybug from coming to fight?

 

She stayed closer than she probably should have, switching between the live newsfeed from the helicopter and her camera when Chat and Godzilla were in range. She’d gotten a lot of good action shots of him, mostly because this was one of the longest akuma fights there had ever been.

 

Any other opponent, a smaller one that Chat could actually go hand-to-hand with, and things might not be so bad. He could have taken something like that on by himself. But this? This Godzilla thing that had taken out three blocks already and was working its way across Paris? Chat wasn’t equipped to handle something like this, not on his own.

 

And he was definitely taking a beating. Alya had seen him knocked to the ground more times than she could count, but he kept getting back up. She didn’t know if maybe his suit protected him or if he was just that strong.

 

She cringed when she saw him get up and wipe away blood trickling from his nose. He wasn’t going to last much longer on his own.

 

 _Dammit_ this was why she should have held on to her own Miraculous. Without Ladybug she had no way to help. But who would have thought something would happen to Ladybug?

 

Chat wobbled on his feet before getting his balance back and charging back in.

 

“No, you idiot,” Alya muttered. He was going to get himself killed this way.

 

She needed to help, miraculous or no miraculous. Obviously she couldn’t go toe to toe with this guy, but what could she do? The akuma wasn’t in anything noticeable. So they had to trap Godzilla somehow and keep him from moving.

 

This would be so much easier if she could create an illusion to lure him somewhere. She didn’t know where, but it would have been nice.

 

“Come on, think. What would hold this guy?”

 

She didn’t think they could trap him in the subway tunnels like they did with the King Kong wannabe a few weeks ago. Godzilla had proven he could smash through that. They couldn’t make a cage around the Eiffel Tower without Ladybug.

 

There had to be some way to do this without Ladybug.

 

Godzilla slammed his tail into some houses and flicked it, sending bricks and shattered glass towards Alya. She ducked down behind a car. Time to move back again. Chat was going to be pissed if he spotted her.

 

She peeked through the car’s window, made sure Godzilla wasn’t about to send debris her way in the next five seconds, and sprinted down the road. Around the corner she almost ran over an old man, but she was able to right them both before they fell.

 

“You should take cover at one of the shelters!” Alya said. She picked up his discarded cane and handed it back to him. “It’s coming this way.”

 

“So should you,” he replied, taking his cane and leaning on it. He had a red Hawaiian shirt and gray hair, and Alya could swear she’d seen him somewhere before. 

 

Alya raised her phone, still clutched in her hand. “I can’t. A journalist doesn’t quit that easily.”

 

He stroked his beard and nodded at her. “I see. Very well, then I think you’ll need this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar jewelry box.

 

“Wait, why do you—”

 

“Not now,” he cut her off. “I fear something is terribly wrong. Ladybug would never willingly stay away from something like this.”

 

Alya swallowed and nodded.

 

“Paris can’t wait for her forever, and the akuma needs to be stopped.”

 

“I definitely agree. But how did you know that I—”

 

He smiled. “Secret.”

 

She sighed and took the offered box. “For a bunch of superheroes there sure are a lot of those.”

 

He laughed. “More than you can even imagine. Now hurry. Chat Noir needs some help.”

 

Alya nodded and ran down a side alley, opening the box. Trixx appeared with a burst of light and a smile.

 

“Alya! Good to see you again!”

 

“It’s great to see you, too,” Alya said. One day, she’d be able to have an actual conversation with this Kwami instead of always ordering him around. She put the box in her pocket and slipped the necklace on.

 

“I take it we need to save the day again?” Trixx asked.

 

Alya laughed. “Of course!”

 

She wasted no time in transforming, then she hopped up the side of the building and stood on the roof overlooking the fight with Godzilla. Chat had been knocked off again and was struggling to his feet.

 

He’d been taking way too many hits. Even superheroes had their limits. Time for Rena Rouge to tag in.

 

She grabbed her flute and piped a quick tune, just to catch Godzilla’s attention. “Hey ugly! Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s rude to hit people?”

 

“Rena Rouge!” Chat cried. “Is Ladybug with you?”

 

Godzilla took a swing at the roof she was on, and she neatly flipped onto his hand and ran up his arm to his shoulder.

 

“No, I don’t know where she is,” Rena admitted.

 

“But then how did you…”

 

“Later!” Rena said. She jumped from the shoulder to the opposite arm, grabbing onto scaly fingers. “Have you ever heard of moisturizer? It’ll smooth this alligator skin to glass.”

 

Godzilla roared and tried to crush her with his other hand. She let go and dropped to the ground, backing up until she was even with Chat.

 

“The akuma is in his hand, right?” Rena asked.

 

“It has to be. He’s not wearing anything and he hasn’t opened that fist this whole time,” Chat said. There were flecks of blood under his nose.

 

Rena frowned. “Are you okay?”

 

He grinned at her. “Me? Paws-itively pur-fect.”

 

Okay, yeah, if he was cracking jokes he was fine.

 

“Good. Then we need a plan,” Rena said.

 

“Get the Akuma?” Chat tried.

 

Rena blinked. “Ladybug always comes up with the plans, doesn’t she.”

 

“I’m the brawn, she’s the brains. It’s been a good system!”

 

“Well Ladybug isn’t here right now, so it’d be a great time to step up!”

 

“Yeah, I know—watch out!” He tackled her out of the way of a stomping foot.

 

Right, yeah, bicker later, focus now.

 

“We’re not going to stop this thing with brute force,” Chat said. He helped Rena to her feet.

 

“I could have told you that!” Rena spat. “We need to trap him somehow, or immobilize him, or something.”

 

“We just need him to open his hand,” Chat said. “Can you use Mirage to create a bunch of planes or something, like King Kong?”

 

“They won’t actually hit him, though, it’s not real.”

 

“Let me worry about that.” He winked at her. He extended his staff and jumped onto Godzilla’s head, buying her time to get up on a roof and pipe another tune.

 

“Mirage!” She swung the power towards Godzilla. Dozens of planes exploded and circled around Godzilla.

 

Chat leapt onto a roof and used cataclysm to destroy a chimney. He chucked the pieces at Godzilla, simulating gunfire.

 

Alya landed on the ground and picked up debris from the destroyed houses, throwing them with all her might at Godzilla’s back.

 

Godzilla roared and swatted at the planes. They were always just out of his reach, and his hand passed through the wings of one of them.

 

Rena thought it was all over then, but Godzilla either didn’t notice or thought he missed, because he kept swatting at them.

 

He roared again and opened his fist. Something small dropped to the ground while Godzilla grabbed part of the roof Rena had been standing on, chucking it forwards and smashing through the planes.

 

The mirage evaporated, but it didn’t matter anymore. Chat had already dropped down and smashed the Godzilla doll that had fallen out of the victim’s hand.

 

A black butterfly flittered into the air. Chat caught one of the wings and held fast to it. “Sorry, little butterfly. Can’t let you go just yet.”

 

The larger Godzilla shrank down in a mess of black bubbles, revealing a gangly kid with buck teeth and large glasses.

 

“Alright, we did it!” Rena cheered.

 

“Not entirely,” Chat said. He showed her the butterfly. “Only Ladybug can purify them. And I have no idea where she is.”

 

Rena’s good mood evaporated like her mirage. “What happens if she doesn’t?”

 

“Remember the first akuma, Stoneheart?”

 

Rena nodded.

 

“We didn’t know about purifying them the first time. And when we just let it go, it multiplied and infected dozens of other civilians. Then it got back to Ivan and infected him again, and all the civilians also turned into Stoneheart.”

 

Rena remembered that. She hadn’t known that was why that happened. “Okay, so what do we do?”

 

He pulled out his staff and pushed a button on it. A little screen popped up with Ladybug’s picture and a green phone. It disappeared just as quickly.

 

Chat swore. “She’s still not answering. This isn’t like her.” He started pacing.

 

“Maybe she just lost her phone?”

 

“These are linked to our Miraculous. Her kwami would be able to tell her that I’ve been calling, and I doubt she didn’t notice this was happening. Something is really wrong.”

 

“What do you think could have happened?” Rena didn’t want to think of the possibilities, because if she started she would never stop.

 

“Something is keeping her away, and it can’t be anything good.”

 

“So how do we find her?” Rena asked.

 

Chat made a pitiful whining sound. “I don’t know! She always insisted on not sharing any details of our personal lives so I don’t have a clue where to even look!”

 

It did make it difficult, not know where the person behind the mask could be. That was the whole point of course; no one was supposed to be able to find her.

 

Rena’s necklace beeped. “Oh no, I’m running out of time.”

 

Chat glanced at his ring. “I will be, too. I’m going to go refuel and take this,” he held up the butterfly, “somewhere safe. Would you mind meeting me back here in like half an hour after you’re kwami has their energy back?”

 

Rena nodded without even thinking about it. “Definitely.”

 

He smiled gratefully at her. “Thanks.”

 

He used his staff to get up on the roofs, and then he was gone.

 

Rena tried not let the worry make her sick, but it was a bit of a losing battle. Anything could have happened to Ladybug. She could have been captured by Hawkmoth on the way over. Or maybe something happened to her civilian self. Maybe she was in a car accident and couldn’t get out of bed. Or something worse.

 

She shook her head. “Can’t think like that. Gotta stay positive.”

 

They would find Ladybug. They would.

 

Xx

 

Adrien didn’t find Master Fu at his dojo place, but he did find a mason jar he was able to shove the akuma in and a pack for him to carry it around. Call him paranoid, but he didn’t want to let the thing out of his sight.

 

He let Plagg devour three pieces of camembert before transforming back into Chat and hopping up the roofs. He called Ladybug; still no answer.

 

This was so not good. Was Ladybug mad at him or something? Was that why she was ignoring him? Or had something happened to her kwami? Maybe she couldn’t transform right now.

 

As awful as it would be, Adrien preferred to think like that. He’d rather deal with a sick or injured kwami than an injured Ladybug.

 

Rena was waiting for him on a roof where he’d told her to, anxiously biting her lip. “I’ve been checking everywhere online, but no one has seen her. She probably didn’t get waylaid on the way over.”

 

He nodded. He wouldn’t have thought so. His calls were going directly to message, meaning she wasn’t even transformed.

 

Meaning something happened to her civilian self.

 

So how was he supposed to find her like this? She’d be pissed if he found out her secret identity, but if situations like this were ever going to happen again he was willing to say screw it, they at least needed to know each other’s names.

 

“Chat?” Rena asked.

 

“Sorry, lost in thought,” Adrien said.

 

“What do we do now?”

 

“There’s not a lot we can do.” He hated to admit it. “She’s pretty adamant about the secret identity thing, and I think that’s the side that’s in trouble.”

 

News helicopters still circled overhead, probably wondering why the city hadn’t been put back together yet. Chat wished he had that power; all he could do was destroy.

 

“So we just have to wait until she gets herself out of it?” Rena asked.

 

“I don’t want to,” Chat stated. He looked out over the city again. The four blocks in front of him were almost completely destroyed. “But I think we have to. Let’s see if we can help with the clean-up, at any rate.”

 

“Only Ladybug can undo the damage?” Rena asked.

 

Chat nodded. “Ladybug creates. I destroy.”

 

“The perfect balance,” Rena said.

 

He gave a wry smile. “And without one, that whole balance is gone.”

 

She put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find her. She’s a tough girl, I’m sure she’s okay.”

 

God he hoped she was right. The last time someone went missing from his life, they’d never been found. The first few hours were always the most important, but he didn’t even know when she’d actually gone missing. The last akuma was two days ago. She could be anywhere in the city.

 

Heck she could be anywhere outside the city, too. But she would have told him if she was going on a vacation or something. Wouldn’t she?

 

He and Rena spent an hour helping to get the streets somewhat clear, but there were too many holes in the road to really reopen them.

 

Adrien kept trying to call Ladybug every ten minutes. “Come on, bugaboo.”

 

It was hard not to panic with each unanswered call.

 

“Oh Chat Noir!” someone cried.

 

He turned to see Chloe waving at him from behind a barricade. At least her face looked like Chloe. She was wearing something Marinette was more likely to wear. Actually, those looked exactly like Marinette’s pants.

 

“What is she up to now?” Rena muttered next to him.

 

“You know her?” Chat asked.

 

“Who doesn’t?” Rena rolled her eyes.

 

That was a fair point, he supposed. Chloe certainly tried her best to make sure everyone knew her.

 

She waved them down again. “Chat!”

 

He sighed and went to see what she wanted, Rena coiled like a spring beside her.

 

“Hi, Chloe,” Chat said.

 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Chloe said. “I _have_ to get back home, but all the roads are blocked from here! Can you carry me?”

 

“Why can’t you walk?” Rena snapped.

 

“What and be seen by half of Paris wearing this?” She looked down at herself.

 

Even as a model, Adrien didn’t have much of an opinion on fashion. He wore what they told him to wear. And as far as he could see, Chloe looked fine. He still didn’t get why she was copying Marinette.

 

Rena shrieked next to him and pointed at the bag hanging off of Chloe’s shoulder. “That…that bag…”

 

Chloe blinked and looked down at it. “Oh, this? A friend let me borrow it. Like it?”

 

Okay, Chloe borrowing _anything_ of Marinette’s was really weird. What was she trying to do? This was going to be one hell of a story come Monday morning.

 

“ _Borrow?_ ” Rena parroted. “Don’t you mean you _stole_ it?”

 

“Hey, you don’t know that,” Chat interrupted, stepping between Rena and Chloe.

 

Chloe flushed and crossed her arms. “As if I would steal Mari-trash’s pathetic bag.”

 

Chat frowned at her. That was uncalled for.

 

Rena wordlessly shrieked and reached past Chat, and he only barely held her off. “Hey, calm down!” he told her.

 

Clearly, Rena knew Marinette in real life and was personally offended on Marinette’s behalf.

 

“I’m going to give it back,” Chloe said. “But I need to get home and change first, so back to you carrying me…”

 

“We’re not taking you anywhere you spoiled brat! You can walk just like everyone else,” Rena spat.

 

“I’m not asking you,” Chloe said.

 

“Sorry, Chloe, but I’m busy right now helping with clean up,” Chat said. “You’ll have to find another way home.” He pulled out his staff and extended it, running away from the mess before it got any worse.

 

Just as his feet touched down on the roof, Chloe cried out from the street. Rena landed next to him, holding Marinette’s bag in her hand.

 

Chat frowned at her. “You can’t just take that from her.”

 

“I know the girl who made it. Trust me, there is no way Chloe got it from her nicely. My friend barely lets this thing out of her sight.”

 

He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he thought about it Marinette did _always_ have that bag hanging at her hip. He was so used to seeing it the bag just sort of blended into the background when they spoke.

 

Still. “You just stole from a civilian. Chloe _will_ tell the press about it and slander you.”

 

Rena shrugged. “She’ll have to admit she stole the bag first.” She slung the strap over her head and wore it across her body, the way Marinette did. “Now come on, that family is trying to dig out some clothes from their house.”

 

She jumped off the roof and immediately started shifting chunks off wall so the family could salvage what they could. Adrien really hoped her strength was a side effect of the Miraculous and she wasn’t naturally that strong. That would be terrifying.

 

He went to help, thoughts spiraling back into worry for Ladybug. Where was she?

 

They helped more and more families try and save what they could. With Ladybug AWOL, they couldn’t trust that everything would be repaired before sunset.

 

Chat checked the jar in his pack. The butterfly flapped angrily against the glass, but it couldn’t get out. He wasn’t sure how long that would last, either.

 

“Phew,” Rena said, dusting her hands off and coming to join him outside a house. “Let’s grab some water and take a break.”

 

Chat just nodded, and ten minutes later they sat on another roof in the shade of a chimney, sipping from some water bottles.

 

“What do we do…” Rena started, turning her orange bottle over in her hands. “What if Ladybug…doesn’t come?”

 

Sheer terror froze Adrien to the spot. He forced himself to swallow. “She will.”

 

“But what if she doesn’t? What happens then? How would you stop Hawkmoth without her?”

 

“I won’t have to. She’ll come back.”

 

“How do you know that? Don’t you think if she could she would have by now?”

 

“I trust her,” Adrien said. He leaned back against the chimney and looked at the sunset streaked sky. “It might not be today, or tomorrow, or next week. But she’ll be back. And I’ll hold down the fort in the meantime.”

 

Rena stared at him.

 

It was a realization he’d come to a while ago, when it first became apparent Ladybug couldn’t get there on her own. Days like this might be more regular for a while. Physically catching the akuma and holding on to it until she could purify them might be the new normal. Damaged streets and ruined homes might be something people had to get used to. He’d take each day as it came and deal with it. He’d make sure the city was still standing when she returned.

 

High pitched wailing, unfortunately familiar, reached their ears.

 

“She _still_ hasn’t gotten home?” Adrien muttered.

 

“That spoiled little brat,” Rena growled. “I should use Mirage and lure her into the canal.”

 

While that image was an amusing one, Adrien still had to uphold the superhero standard. After chuckling a little, he sternly told Rena they couldn’t do that.

 

Rena slouched more and set her water bottle down next to her, picking up Marinette’s bag and running her fingers over it.

 

It was risky. He shouldn’t ask about it. But he was going to do it anyway. “That’s Marinette’s, isn’t it?”

 

Rena froze for a moment before relaxing again. “I forgot you met her before.”

 

He nodded. It had been an experience interacting with her as Chat. He’d expected her to be terrified and stutter through her date with Evilistrator, but she’d been calm and composed the whole time, practically taking charge of the fight. It was a complete one eighty from the girl he knew in class.

 

Maybe not completely. He’d glimpsed it before, with the gum incident his first day and the few times she’d stood up to Chloe in front of the class.

 

“What’s so special about the bag? Does she keep something important in there or something?”

 

Rena laughed and shook her head. “No, nothing like that. Honestly I’ve only ever seen her put cookies in this thing.”

 

He couldn’t help the laugh that came out of his mouth. “I had no idea.” Trust the daughter of the baker to have such a major sweet tooth. He had to give her props though, he’d never caught her snacking on a random cookie.

 

“She made the bag,” Rena said. “It was like the first thing she made that came out so well.”

 

“Oh, wow.” He could understand the pride that went into something like that. His father could be the same way.

 

“And that’s why I know she didn’t give it to Chloe willingly. That slimy little brat has always had it in for Marinette, but taking this is a low blow.” Rena’s fingers tightened around the bag in her anger.

 

The bag squeaked.

 

Rena loosened it immediately and shared a glance with Chat.

 

“Cookies don’t squeak,” Chat stated.

 

“Oh what the hell did Chloe put in here,” Rena muttered, opening the bag and peeking inside. Her face twisted in confusion.

 

She turned the bag towards Chat.

 

He saw a little red toy with a black dot on its head. That alone would have been creepy, but the toy looked eerily like Plagg.

 

“Is that what I think it is?” Rena asked.

 

“It definitely looks like a kwami,” Chat nodded.

 

That meant one of two things. Either Chloe was Ladybug, or Marinette was.

 

And it had already been pretty well proven that Chloe wasn’t Ladybug.

 

“ _Holy shit my best friend is Ladybug_ ,” Rena whisper shrieked.

 

The kwami sprang to life and shushed her. “Keep it down!”

 

“Oh my god and she _never told me_. I’m going to _kill_ her,” Rena ranted. She jumped up and started pacing on the roof.

 

Adrien was too busy mentally freaking out.

 

Marinette was Ladybug. Shy, clumsy Marinette was Ladybug.

 

It was hard meshing the two images together, but Adrien found more similarities than he knew what to do with.

 

It all made perfect sense. Besides him, Marinette was the only other person in their entire class to not be akumatized. She did have the backbone to stand up for what was right when the situation called for it.

 

And he’d seen Ladybug be a klutz plenty of times. He’d seen her start stuttering and waving her arms all over the place when making up wild excuses for whatever. Yeah she was more confident as Ladybug, but he was more confident behind a mask, too.

 

Shy, clumsy, sweet, and determined Marinette was Ladybug.

 

 _And Alya was Rena Rouge_.

 

This was too many revelations in one minute he needed, like, an hour to process all of this.

 

Because _of course_ if Marinette was Ladybug, then when she needed to ask someone to help with the superhero stuff she’d obviously turn to her best friend. And Rena Rouge had the same sass that Alya had, and honestly Adrien should have put that one together a lot faster.

 

He should have put Ladybug and Marinette together a lot faster, too.

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Rena said, turning back to where Ladybug’s kwami floated next to Chat’s head. “Why are you here, instead of with Marinette? What happened to her? How did Chloe get her bag?”

 

The red kwami pulled her legs up to her chest. “Chloe tricked Marinette and locked her in her closet. I…I didn’t have a chance to get out of the bag in time.”

 

Rena repeated Chloe’s name in a dangerous growl.

 

Chat held his hand under her and let the kwami sink down onto his palm. “Hey, not your fault. Is Marinette still in Chloe’s closet?”

 

“I don’t know,” the kwami said. “It’s been hours. I hope not.”

 

Adrien hadn’t thought the murderous rampage on Rena’s face could darken anymore, but Rena was proving him wrong.

 

“We’re going to find out. And as soon as I know Mari is safe, I have a blonde bitch to slaughter.”

 

Adrien pushed himself to his feet. “Let’s just find Marinette first.” He couldn’t condone killing Chloe, but he might be willing to look the other way if Alya still wanted to lure Chloe into the canal.

 

The kwami, who told them her name was Tikki, went back into Marinette’s bag and then they were off, flying across the rooftops again in the direction of the mayor’s hotel.

 

Xx

 

It had been quiet for hours. Marinette had screamed herself hoarse, beaten her hands against the door and the walls until they were raw and bloody, but she was still here.

 

It surprised her. She hadn’t thought Chloe would be so cruel as to leave her here even after the interview was over. If they’d even had it in the first place. Maybe with the akuma attack it was cancelled.

 

Her luck didn’t seem to be that lucky today.

 

She’d resigned herself to waiting until Chloe came back. She had to at some point, after all. She’d figured once the shaking died down and the akuma had been stopped it wouldn’t take that long. But the minutes dragged on, stretched into hours. It was probably night by now. Maybe even morning. Maybe Chloe had slept over Sabrina’s house that night.

 

Maybe Marinette was never getting out of this closet.

 

Chloe could have at least left some food and water if she was going to be this long. Marinette could barely swallow she was so thirsty, and her stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself.

 

She hated this closet. She hated how being in here for so long made it feel like the walls were closing in, like it was even smaller now than it had been before. She hated that she had no idea what had happened with the akuma, if the city was okay, if anyone had been hurt, if Chat was okay.

 

Her heart squeezed. What did Chat think of her not showing up? What would he assume had happened to her?

 

She half wished Tikki was able to transform someone else, just for today, just to keep the city safe while Marinette couldn’t, but Marinette still had the earrings. Tikki was as helpless as Marinette was right now. She was also probably scared and hungry. God Marinette wanted her back. Even if they were both somehow stuck in this closet, at least they would have had each other to talk to. The quiet loneliness felt like someone smothering her with a blanket.

 

She buried her face in her knees, sitting on the floor with her back pressed up against the ottoman. She’d be crying if she wasn’t so dehydrated.

 

She just wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up between her mama and papa and watch some cheesy rom-com with them.

 

“Marinette?” someone called, distant and far-off.

 

Marinette’s head was up in a snap. Person. Human. _Help_.

 

She lunged to the door and beat against it. Her hands protested, but the adrenaline shooting through her told them to shut up. “I’m in here! Open the door, please!” Please please please _please please please_. Her voice was almost useless, thoroughly wrecked by her hours of screaming earlier.

 

“Why are there so many closets oh my god,” a voice that sounded like Alya said.

 

“Alya!” Marinette yelled. Of course her best friend noticed she was missing and came looking for her. Marinette didn’t even care how she ended up here.

 

“ _Shit_.”

 

“I already knew, don’t worry,” a second voice said. It sounded male, it was definitely familiar, but Marinette was going to _lose it if they didn’t open this door right now_.

 

“ _What do you mean you knew?_ ” Alya shrieked.

 

“I just figured it out on the roof, calm down.” The voice was closer, and then the door knob jiggled.

 

“In here!” Marinette said, slapping the door with her palms.

 

The lock clicked, and the door opened. Marinette yanked it open and flew out into a solid black chest.

 

“Whoa, easy there, Princess,” Chat Noir said.

 

She blinked and allowed her brain a moment to catch up.

 

Chat Noir was holding her up, and Rena Rouge stood behind him, looking over his shoulder.

 

Ooohhhh noooo and Marinette had called her Alya! She’d totally blown her secret! But Chat said he knew? How had he known? What happened?

 

“Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, flying into Marinette’s cheek.

 

Marinette’s eyes widened and she glanced between Tikki and the others. Why was Tikki out in the open like this _what the hell_?

 

“I’m sorry, they found me in your bag and figured it out,” Tikki said.

 

“It’s my fault for snooping,” Alya said.

 

“Things happened kind of fast,” Chat agreed. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want us to know. But it was an accident, I swear.”

 

Marinette took deep breaths. She did not have the mental capacity left to deal with the fact that her two best friends knew her secret.

 

“Are you okay?” Alya asked.

 

“It’s not one of my better days,” Marinette admitted. Shit this was the last thing she wanted to happen right now of all times. She couldn’t process all of this.

 

Her eyes stung, and she didn’t know if the tears were from frustration or anger or sadness or happiness at finally being out of the damn closet, she just knew that she was definitely about to cry.

 

“Come here, girl,” Alya said, gently pushing Chat aside and wrapping Marinette in her arms. She walked backwards and dragged Marinette further into the larger room, which Marinette greatly appreciated.

 

Marinette allowed herself a few minutes to hide against Alya, to soak in the comfort of another human being. Only a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn’t have the energy for a complete breakdown.

 

Chat rubbed circles into her back and handed her a bottle of water. “I’m sorry this happened. Chloe was way out of line.”

 

“She told me she was trying to be nicer. She said she wanted to loan me clothes for my interview.”

 

“And instead she trapped you up here where no one would find you and made you miss your interview,” Alya said.

 

“What interview?” Chat asked.

 

Alya thankfully told him the details while Marinette drank the water.  

 

“Fashion design, huh?” Chat said.

 

“She went to it,” Marinette mumbled. “She wanted to sabotage it.”

 

Alya stiffened. “That does it. Murder is too good a punishment for this bitch.”

 

 “She is definitely going to pay for today,” Chat agreed.

 

“We’ll plan later. I want to get out of here before she comes back,” Alya said.

 

Marinette froze at the thought. She did not want to face Chloe right now. There was not any energy left for that.

 

“Let’s get her home,” Chat agreed.

 

“My sketchbook is in there,” Marinette said. She didn’t point or even gesture at the closet. Didn’t even spare it a glance. But they knew what she was talking about.

 

“I’ll get it,” Chat said. “Holy—Marinette what did you _do_?”

 

“What is it?” Alya asked. She let go of Marinette in favor of peering into the closet. She whistled. “Damn Marinette. I didn’t know you had it in you!”

 

Marinette blushed. “I, um, may have gotten a little mad.”

 

Alya smiled back at her. “I’m so proud of you.”

 

“I mean I knew to stay on your good side, but now I really know,” Chat said. He came back out with her backpack, sketchbook safely inside. He also scooped up her phone from a table against the wall. “Now, let’s get out of here.”

 

Marinette nodded and turned to the windows. It was pitch black outside, and her stomach sank.

 

“What happened with the akuma?” she asked.

 

Chat and Alya froze.

 

“We handled it,” Chat said. “I’ve got the butterfly right here.” He patted a pack hanging next to his hip.

 

“I can purify that now,” Marinette said. That was a relief. There wouldn’t be a second Stoneheart incident.

 

“No, it’s okay,” Chat said. “It can wait until morning. You look exhausted already.”

 

“Purifying them doesn’t take that much energy,” Marinette said.

 

“It’s not just purifying them,” Alya admitted. “There was a lot of property damage.”

 

The crushing weight of failure replaced all the weight that had just lifted off her shoulders. “How much is a lot?”

 

“A few blocks.” Alya cringed while saying it.

 

Marinette took a shaky breath and glanced at Tikki. Tikki nodded in approval.

 

“Okay then. Tikki, spots on.”

 

Chat and Alya groaned, but Marinette now stood before them as Ladybug. Tikki loaned her some strength, enough for her to yoyo her way towards the blocks of damage. The others filled her in on Godzilla and how they beat him along the way.

 

She dropped down in the middle of one of the ruined streets and threw her yoyo up again, calling for Lucky charm.

 

It dropped back down with a plate, and Marinette rolled her eyes. She knew she needed food. But some things came first.

 

She threw it back up and called out Miraculous Ladybug. In seconds, the uneven pavement righted itself. The holes and gaps in people’s homes filled in. Roofs were replaced. Cars unsmashed. It was like the fight never happened.

 

That was how Marinette liked it.

 

“Okay, let the akuma out,” she told Chat.

 

He did as asked, but he was definitely unhappy about it. He had nothing to worry about though. This was the most awake Marinette had felt in hours. She was fine.

 

It took less time to purify the butterfly and wave goodbye to the small white one that flapped away. It took some of her frustration from the day with it. The akuma was dealt with, the city was safe, Chat and Rena Rouge were okay.

 

She was out of the closet, breathing fresh air, and she’d never felt more alive.

 

“Okay, now you’re going home,” Chat said.

 

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed.

 

“And we’re both escorting you there,” Rena stated.

 

Marinette didn’t argue. It didn’t take long to get there, and they hid in an alley up the road for Marinette to transform back first.

 

She hugged both of them. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

 

“Like we were gonna leave you there?” Alya demanded.

 

“Yeah, come on, the heroes always rescue the princess,” Chat grinned.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You’re terrible.”

 

“You love it.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that.”

 

“I’ll keep him in line. Go home and eat. I’ll call you later,” Alya said.

 

Marinette nodded, bid them goodnight, and finally went home. She made up a lie to her parents about losing her phone on the way to the interview and then spending the rest of the day looking for it to explain where she’d been.

 

When they asked how the interview went, she just said she didn’t think it had gone well and went to hide in her room.

 

She had fully intended to spend the rest of the night moping, but she found an email from Adrien asking if she wanted to play online with him for a bit.

 

Her bad mood didn’t completely disappear, but it certainly lifted up to cloud nine.

 

Xx

 

Adrien wasn’t sure how he expected the next week at school to go. He was fully prepared for an all out war between Alya, Marinette, and Chloe.

 

That wasn’t exactly what he got.

 

It was more like a complete smack down.

 

It was brutal. Terrifying. Awe-inspiring. Jaw-dropping. Like watching a car accident happen right in front of you. All you can do is sit back and watch.

 

He came to school early, forgetting that Marinette was almost never on time, and watched as the rest of their class filed inside in pairs and groups. Chloe strolled in wearing all new clothes, top picks from the latest season. Sabrina followed her in, flipping through pictures on Chloe’s phone and asking if she could try on this or that.

 

Chloe did a spin in front of him. “What do you think, Adrikens? Daddy let me have a shopping spree yesterday.”

 

His stomach clenched. She locked Marinette in a closet for half a day and she got a shopping trip out of it? That was so messed up. Wasn’t she going to be punished at all?

 

If she was, it wouldn’t be by him. He, Adrien, didn’t technically know what had happened.

 

Damn secret identities. Marinette had looked so overwhelmed the other night he didn’t want to drop his real identity into the mix, and she hadn’t been home when he stopped by as Chat the night before. Which was fine, he didn’t mind waiting a few days, but it meant he had to sit here and pretend like he had no reason to be upset with Chloe.

 

He forced a smile on his face. “Looks great.”

 

Chloe beamed back at him and took her seat.

 

“You okay?” Nino asked him. “You look like that physically hurt.”

 

Adrien slouched in his seat. “It kind of did. I’ll tell you about it later.” When he had a decent explanation that didn’t involve Chat Noir.

 

Alya and Marinette came striding through the door. Marinette paused, glaring at Chloe, her fists shaking by her side.

 

Adrien straightened in his seat. He had never, either as Ladybug or as Marinette, seen her outright furious before.

 

She looked ready to _kill_ Chloe.

 

“Mar?” Alya reached out to Marinette’s shoulder.

 

That seemed to be the trigger. Marinette stormed through the room, stomping right up in front of Chloe.

 

She had the entire class’s attention. Adrien doubted anyone had ever seen her this mad before.

 

Chloe looked at her nails. “You’re not still mad about Saturday, are you? I didn’t mean to be gone that long. Besides, I’d say you already got your revenge. What you did to my closet was complete tragedy.”

 

“Seriously,” Sabrina cut in. “You could have left one thing to wear.”

 

“You stay out of this,” Alya snapped, surging forward to flank Marinette.

 

When Marinette spoke, her voice was tight and barely contained. “I’m going to give you one chance to apologize. And you’re going to call the Keady Institute and tell them what you did.”

 

Leave it to Marinette to not demand retribution right away. Anyone else would have strangled Chloe by now. _He_ wanted to strangle Chloe.

 

“What the hell did Chloe do?” Alyx whispered in the back of the room somewhere.

 

Chloe laughed. “You ruined my best clothes, I’m not apologizing to you.”

 

“So you won’t apologize for sabotaging my interview and locking me in a closet for _eight hours_?”

 

Jaws hit the floor all around the classroom amid a whispered hum of swear words. Adrien winced. He hadn’t known she’d been there that long. He’d figured a few hours, maybe three or four. But eight? All alone with no way to call for help? He’d have gone insane.

 

“You got out, didn’t you?” Chloe rolled her eyes.

 

Marinette’s fist snapped into Chloe’s face.

 

Chloe’s sunglasses went flying off her head and she smacked into the desk behind her with a solid thunk. She shrieked and grabbed at her nose.

 

Marinette pulled her fist back, staring down at Chloe.

 

“You little bitch! You broke my nose!” Chloe said. She pulled her hand away to look at the blood dripping down her hands, and then she went cross-eyed to look down her nose.

 

This was of course when Madame Bustier decided to arrive. “Good morning, class! How was everyone’s week—Goodness, what is going on here?” Her cheery smile dropped into shock in an instant when it fell on the girls.

 

“Holy shit,” Kim breathed. “That was awesome.”

 

“Marinette finally cracked,” Max said. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

 

“Can I get an instant replay? Tell me someone was filming this,” Alyx said.

 

Adrien only half listened. His gaze still ping-ponged between the girls in front of him. Nino hovered over his shoulder, open-mouthed.

 

Finally, Sabrina’s hand shot into the air to answer their teacher. “Marinette just punched Chloe!”

 

Bustier dropped her pile of folders onto her desk. “ _Marinette!_ ”

 

It was shocking if you didn’t know the context. Next to Rose, Marinette was the sweetest girl in the class. Most people probably had no idea she even knew how to throw a punch.

 

“But it was totally deserved!” Alya said. “Chloe freaking _kidnapped_ her over the weekend and left her locked in a closet for eight hours while she pretended to be her and sabotage Marinette’s interview with Keady!”

 

Each word seemed to drag Bustier’s eyebrows closer and closer to her hairline, and when she ran out of space there her jaw dropped.

 

It took her a moment to shake herself out of it. “Is this true, girls?” she asked.

 

Marinette nodded.

 

Chloe looked away at the floor, which was agreement enough.

 

“But Marinette ruined every single thing in Chloe’s closet already!” Sabrina said, jumping up.

 

“Yeah, and Chloe got a _shopping trip_ out of it,” Nathaniel said.

 

“She broke my nose!” Chloe wailed.

 

“You totally deserved it,” Alya stated, leaning back on one leg and crossing her arms.

 

Bustier rubbed her temples. “Alright, that’s enough. Alya, take your seat. Chloe, Marinette, we’re going to the principal’s office. The rest of you, start reading the next chapter of _The Three Musketeers_.”

 

Alya gave Marinette a hug, shot Chloe a glare, and then subtlety patted Marinette’s purse, where Adrien now knew a kwami hid.

 

Bustier escorted both girls out of the room, hands on their shoulders, and stern looks back at the rest of the class.

 

They waited silently for a few moments, and then Max spoke up. “Markov recorded the whole thing.”

 

“ _Hell yes_ ,” Alyx cheered.

 

Adrien didn’t join in the crowd gathering around Max to watch the replay on his phone. Neither did Nino or Alya.

 

Nino looked up at Alya for answers. “Chloe seriously did that to her?”

 

Alya nodded.

 

“Is Marinette okay?” Adrien asked.

 

“She’s pissed, mostly,” Alya shrugged. “Saturday night she cried a lot, but after some sleep she was just…soooo mad.”

 

“I didn’t even know Marinette knew _how_ to be mad,” Nino said. 

 

“What do you think made her wreck Chloe’s closet?” Alya teased. “The kindness and goodwill in her heart?”

 

Nino laughed. “Marinette is a secret Hulk, oh my god.”

 

Adrien couldn’t find it in him to laugh, not when he’d seen her Saturday night. Not when he knew how much it took to make her that angry. Marinette wasn’t a mean person by nature. Hell, the first thing out of her mouth to Chloe after all this was a demand for an apology. She tried to give Chloe the chance to set things right first and foremost. Only when Chloe refused to did Marinette let her temper get the better of her.

 

She really was too good for this world.

 

And he was definitely going to check up on her tonight.

 

Xx

 

Madame Bustier came back about a half hour later. Neither of the girls were with her.

 

“They didn’t suspend Marinette, did they?” Rose asked.

 

“Yeah, she totally had the right to deck Chloe in the face!” Nathaniel added.

 

Bustier lifted her hands up and down, settling the class. “Nothing has been decided yet. Principal Damocles was calling in their parents.”

 

That made sense, but Adrien really wanted to know what was happening. He wanted to know if Marinette was okay.

 

She didn’t come back to the classroom.

 

Alya got a text that she relayed to them at lunch, that Marinette had a day of in school suspension. Chloe had out of school suspension for a week, was being transferred into another class, and was being forced to call Keady and explain what she’d done. But Marinette wasn’t pressing charges with the police.

 

Not that Adrien wanted her to. He still had a history of friendship with Chloe and he would hate to see that happen to her. But Chloe had definitely crossed a line here, and hopefully she’d learn something.

 

So the day passed, and Alya went home with Marinette and Adrien went to everything he had scheduled after school. By the time he was done with his homework and bounded over the rooftops to see her, she was already asleep. It wasn’t _that_ late, but had been having a stressful few days. He chuckled, whispered “Sleep tight, Princess,” against the glass, and went back home.

 

The next day, Marinette was her usual sunny self. She laughed and answered all her classmates questions, brushed off the ordeal like it hadn’t made her cry for twenty minutes, and asked how everyone else’s weekends had been.

 

The akuma attack during the middle of the day saw the two of them racing for the bathrooms while everyone else evacuated, and then Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day. He asked how she was after what had happened, she said never better, and the battle was like any other. Complete focus, some well-timed quips, her answering eye-rolls, and a purified butterfly. Normal.

 

She was…normal. After all that. After slugging Chloe in the face. How was she normal?

 

They bumped fists and went their separate ways, both of them taking circuitous routes back to the school.

 

She never asked about his true identity. Not that she ever did, but he’d thought that now, since he knew hers, she’d want him to return the favor.

 

Didn’t she care who he was?

 

It sounded cruel at first, but as he brooded about it during physics later on, he realized that was exactly it. Marinette _didn’t care_ , because Chat was enough for her. And she wouldn’t prod at something she felt wasn’t her business. She respected him too much for that.

 

If he wanted her to know, it was on him to tell her.

 

This decision led to days imagining worse and worse scenarios. Every time he jumped near her rooftop, he found some reason or other to put it off.

 

Plagg finally called him out on it at the end of the week. “Come on, kid. You’ve wanted to tell her since day one! Why the hold up now? All these transformations for nothing, geez.”

 

Adrien laid back on his bed, legs dangling over the edge and an arm thrown over his eyes. “I know, but now that I know who she is, it’s worse. Because I know she knows me, and she’s always so shy around me, I don’t know how she’s going to react. And it terrifies me.”

 

She could be thrilled. She could be horrified. Ladybug could turn into the same stuttering mess that Marinette was around him. Maybe she wouldn’t like knowing that her partner was actually a pretty well-known model.

 

It could go a hundred different ways, and he didn’t know which one to prepare for.

 

“Nothing worth doing is ever easy,” Plagg said, spouting some of his random wisdom. “Take Camembert, for example. The process to make it so complex, but the result is sooooo worth it.” And then he instantly discredits that wisdom.

 

But he had a point.

 

“Right, okay then,” Adrien said, springing to his feet.

 

“Oh no, I know that face,” Plagg said. He attempted to fly away up to the loft around Adrien’s room.

 

“Plagg, claws out!”

 

“But we just came back!” Plagg wailed as he vanished into the ring.

 

Chat Noir bounded into the night moments later, determined that this time, nothing would stop him.

 

It was a lot easier to at least approach her this time. She was sitting on her roof wrapped in a blanket, a thermos and two empty mugs beside her, while she played on her phone.

 

She smiled at him. “I thought you were going to keep me waiting all night,” she teased.

 

He jumped from the railing to the ground. “You were waiting for me?”

 

She blushed and turned to fiddle with the thermos. “Well, you’ve been coming by all week, right? Alya’s noticed you racing across the rooftops every night.”

 

Crap. He’d been caught red-handed. “Well, you know, I was worried about you. But you seem like you’re doing okay.”

 

She got the cap off the thermos and poured hot chocolate into the two mugs, and then she held one out to him. “I am okay. Chloe is finally out of my class, and I don’t really see her that much outside of it, so it’s been a great week. And all of my friends have been super supportive.”

 

He took the mug and gently folded himself down at the foot of the lounge chair. Marinette curled up at the seat.

 

“That’s good to hear, that you’re friends have been helpful. I’m sorry I wasn’t around more.” That was an apology both as Chat and as Adrien. He had so much going on as Adrien between school and the extra lessons his father still insists he takes that it doesn’t leave a lot of time for his friends. And he could only do so much during classes.

 

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t be. You’ve been great.”

 

He shrugged. “I still could have come by more. And actually, like, said hello or something.”

 

“I know why you didn’t, it’s okay.” She blew on her cocoa and sipped it.

 

“You do?”

 

She nodded. “You’re trying to give me space, and you feel obligated to tell me who you are, since you know who I am.”

 

She hit the nail on the head. Chat could only stare dumbfounded at her.

 

“I know my partner,” she giggled. “And it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I understand.”

 

He shook his head. “No, I definitely want to. It will honestly make life so much easier, I’m just…scared of how you’ll react.”

 

“What, are you secretly some forty year old?”

 

He wrinkled his nose. “What? No. Gross.”

 

“A serial killer?”

 

“No,” he laughed.

 

“Then I doubt I’m going to have a problem with you.” She smiled at him.

 

“You have such low standards. I don’t know if I should be offended or not.”

 

“No matter who you are in your daily life, you’re still Chat. Just like I’m still Marinette when I have my mask on.”

 

“Yeah…” Strong, fierce, kind, and compassionate Marinette, with or without a mask. At the very least, revealing he knew her in their daily lives might make dating her easier.

 

He looked down at the cocoa he’d been ignoring. That was a door he should not have opened in his mind right now, because now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He’d been doing so well _not_ thinking about this all week, and here he was, about to reveal himself, already thinking they could start dating that night and he could take her on lunch dates during school.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Marinette asked.

 

“Uh, nothing!”

 

“You’re face got all…weird.”

 

“Excuse you, my face is great.” Most of Paris agreed with that statement. That was why he had a bodyguard.

 

“Tell me,” she said.

 

“No, it was dumb.” He couldn’t tell her that. She’d freak out and run.

 

“I bet it wasn’t.”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Please?”

 

He shook his head and sipped at his cocoa. “This is really good. Did you hand make it?”

 

She gave him a dry look. “I harvested the cocoa bean and milked the cow myself. Don’t change the subject!”

 

“That is dedication for a guy you didn’t even know was going to be here tonight,” Chat commented, continuing to sip on his cocoa.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

 

“It’s really not that important anyway,” Chat assured her. He wanted to bring this back around to telling her who he was, but he couldn’t figure out a good segway into it.

 

He couldn’t think of a single other topic, either, and apparently neither could Marinette. They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking cocoa and enjoying the company.

 

When he looked over at her, she was biting her lip. “What’s on your mind?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“Oh come on, that’s not fair!” Chat said. “Don’t do it back to me!”

 

“Sorry,” she laughed. “I just don’t want to pressure you in to anything.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

She threw her head back. “I’m _dying_ to know who you are! But I don’t want to push you if you’re not ready, and I’m such a hypocrite because I always said we couldn’t know, and you didn’t _mean_ to find out about me, but you came here for this exact reason and it’s killing me!”

 

“So you are curious!” That was a bit of a relief, honestly.

 

“Of course I am!”

 

“Hey, you always play it off, forgive me for being worried.”

 

“I’m sorry. I really don’t want to pressure you. I know it’s a big deal.” She wound a loose thread from the blanket around her finger.

 

“I’m sorry, too, that you didn’t have a say about yourself.”

 

She shrugged. “I’m just glad it was only you and Alya. I know neither one of you will reveal it to anyone else.”

 

He nodded. “And you’ll never tell anyone who I am.” His palms felt sweaty, even inside his gloves.

 

She smiled and shook her head.

 

He took a deep breath and stood up, setting his mug down on the table next to Marinette. Out of habit, he looked around the rooftop. There didn’t seem to be any windows facing them, and he couldn’t see anyone.

 

“Wait!” Marinette said. “Should we go down in my room? Just in case?”

 

He nodded, some of the tension easing out of his shoulders. He was fairly certain no one could see them, but better safe than sorry.

 

She led the way down into her room. It was always a shock how pink it all was, and how much it screamed Marinette. The girl was unapologetically herself.

 

She sat on her chaise, Tikki flying out from behind one of the pillows and nuzzling her cheek. Then she looked up at him and gave him a little nod.

 

He nodded back. “Plagg, claws in.”

 

The suit faded away, and Plagg dropped down onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes to stare into Marinette’s. They were wide. Shocked.

 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, hey.”

 

It took her a moment to get her voice working, and even then it was only a whisper. “Adrien? Adrien Agreste?”

 

“Yeah. It’s me. Funny that we all know each other, don’t you think?” He really needed to laugh at something right now, the suspense was killing him. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

 

Her eyes darted from his face, to Plagg, to something behind, and back to his face. Tikki patted her cheek.

 

“You,” Marinette started, “and Adrien. You’re the same person?”

 

He nodded. He didn’t get why this was such a difficult concept for her, she should have been the one person who understood it better than anyone else.

 

“Oh my god,” she said.

 

“I know, I act a lot different as Chat.” He didn’t really know where he was going with that, and he was kind of glad he didn’t get to finish.

 

Not so glad that it was because Marinette grabbed one of her pillows, stuffed her face in it, and screamed.

 

He jumped and Plagg flew behind him for cover. He looked to Tikki for help.

 

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head. “Let her get it out of her system. She’ll be fine in a minute.”

 

Get _what_ out of her system?

 

Was she…was she upset, that it was him? Was she hoping for someone else?

 

She pulled her face out of the pillow, breathing heavily. “Oh my god. Oh my god I can’t believe it.”

 

He kneeled down in front of her. “Hey, take a breath, calm down.”

 

She looked at him with such a tortured look on her face. “I rejected you _for you oh my god_.”

 

Those had not been the words he expected to come out of her mouth. He blinked. “What?”

 

“You asked Ladybug out as Chat Noir and I said no because I like Adrien but _you’re the same freaking person_. I’m such an idiot!”

 

Adrien’s mind shut down. She liked Adrien? Ladybug liked Adrien?

 

“I can’t believe you’re the same person and I never noticed!” Marinette went on. “I sat behind you every day in class I should have picked up on so many clues! Oh my god that was how you knew Volpina didn’t have the real Adrien, you were right there!”

 

She went on analyzing other situations where his identities had clashed, but he was still stuck on “I like Adrien.”

 

She liked him.

 

He liked her.

 

Was he crazy to think his fantasy of them getting together tonight was actually possible?

 

“Man, she can really talk,” Plagg said.

 

“She’s liked Adrien for a long time, this is a really big deal for her,” Tikki said.

 

Adrien considered that, and then he looked at Marinette again. She rubbed her temples, still talking, and he watched her mouth for a few moments.

 

She liked him.

 

He liked her.

 

All this time, they’d been dancing around one another, trying to get the attention of the wrong side of the coin. He chuckled and shook his head.

 

They were both idiots.

 

He reached a hand up to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her skin.

 

She stopped talking immediately to stare at him.

 

“I hope you don’t mind, but I really want to kiss you right now.”

 

Her entire face went red. “No,” she squeaked. “I don’t mind at all.”

 

He grinned and pressed his lips to hers.

 

She practically melted beneath him, tension draining out of her body.

 

It didn’t last long, maybe a few seconds, but they were both smiling and giddy when he pulled away.

 

He moved to sit next to her on the chaise, taking her hand in his. He’d never noticed her hands were so much smaller. All of her was a lot smaller, really. It was kind of adorable.

 

Tikki and Plagg had disappeared somewhere. Probably nearby, eavesdropping but at least giving the pretense that he and Marinette were alone.

 

And then the doubts crept into his mind.

 

He shouldn’t have kissed her. It was too soon. She was still trying to adjust to the idea that he and Chat were the same person, and here he was trying to shove a relationship in her lap. He’d at least had time to reconcile her two different sides with one another, to see the overlaps in both of them. He should have given her the same chance.

 

“What are you thinking, right now?” Adrien asked.

 

“That this is all a dream, and I’m going to wake up and be really sad,” Marinette said. She squeezed his hand back. “I want this to be real.”

 

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “It’s real. I promise, M’lady.”

 

“Then…you really like me, as Marinette? Not just Ladybug?”

 

“Remember what you told me earlier? You’re still Ladybug, even without the mask. Now I just know all of you.”

 

“That’s the terrifying part. Do you know how many times I’ve fallen in front of you?”

 

“Yeah, well what about me? You like the model side of me. But I’m also the guy who makes endless cat puns that you always keep at arm’s length.”

 

She leaned against him. “I think it will make it easier. There was always something…unreachable, about you. Like you were too good, too pure for anyone.”

 

He pulled a face. What did that even mean? It didn’t sound like a good thing.

 

“But knowing you’re Chat Noir? That you have this playful, silly side? It brings you back down to us regular people. You’re not quite so intimidating now.”

 

“Thanks, I think?” He was sure that made sense to her, he was just having a hard time following it. He’d never really thought of himself as intimidating, not even as Chat.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

It got very awkward, very fast after that. What was he supposed to do now? Should he leave? He’d done what he’d come here to do. And it was getting late. He had photoshoots in the morning, and he was sure she had something to do, too.

 

“So…are we…what are we, now?” Marinette asked.

 

“Well, I want to be able to take you on lunch dates and hold your hand like this all the time,” Adrien said. Her little hand fit completely in his grasp, and he liked it there. He was growing attached to the sensation already.

 

She blushed again. “I’d really like that. But is it okay for us to be out in public together? The media went kind of crazy just _thinking_ we were dating.”

 

A dozen swear words went through his mind. He hadn’t even considered that. Or his father.

 

“How about this?” Marinette suggested, her Ladybug take-charge attitude shining through. “I’ll bring a picnic for us to eat at school on Monday, and we can talk more about it then?”

 

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, yeah that sounds good. This is going pretty fast. I mean, I was still just Chat Noir to you ten minutes ago.”

 

“Yeah,” she laughed. “We did maybe skip a few steps.”

 

He grinned. “Sounds like us.”

 

She made a humming sound. “We’ll get there.”

 

“Yeah. In the meantime, I should probably head home. It’s getting late.”

 

She nodded and he stood up to transform back into Chat, and then she walked him back to the rooftop.

 

“Oh, what’s your favorite flower?” he asked. It was a spur of the moment idea, but he liked it and he was going to do it.

 

She tilted her head. “My favorite flower?”

 

He waited.

 

“Dahlias,” she said.

 

“Good to know.” He gave her another kiss, a quick peck on the lips, and then saluted before bounding into the night.

 

When he got home and detransformed, he finally allowed himself to freak out over the fact that _he kissed Ladybug_. What even was his life?

 

He collapsed on his bed again, smiling dazedly up at the ceiling.

 

“I take it back. Telling her was a terrible idea,” Plagg said. “You’re gonna be like this all the time now.”

 

“I hope so.” He was happy and content, for the first time in a long while. Things weren’t perfect. He and Marinette were going to have to adjust to their dual sides. But he was kind of excited. It was like he had the chance to knowingly fall in love with her all over again.

 

He couldn’t wait.

 

 

Xx

 

Marinette watched Chat bound over the roofs until he was out of sight, a dopey smile on her face and a tingle on her lips.

 

Kissing was even better than she imagined.

 

And she’d kissed _Adrien Agreste_. The most selfless, handsome, kindest boy she’d ever met. Who also happened to be her best friend, Chat Noir, the obnoxious flirt with too many puns, but a heart of gold and a will to help others stronger than her own.

 

The dazed expression gave way to shock and disbelief eventually the more she thought about it.

 

God. Adrien and Chat were the same person. Talk about two different sides of the coin. Was she that different as Marinette and Ladybug?

 

She sat down on the lounge chair again, wrapping herself in the blanket once more.

 

The mask gave her confidence. She didn’t really have to worry about long-term consequences of what she did and didn’t do, and she knew she could handle anything thrown at her. Sometimes literally.

 

Adrien probably felt the same way. He was in the public eye _all the time_ , and his father was a surprisingly private person. It would make sense if Gabriel Agreste didn’t want Adrien drawing negative attention to the family and causing unnecessary drama, so Adrien learned to be on his best behavior all the time. He stayed silent instead of making jokes, because then he didn’t have to worry about people taking it the wrong way.

 

But as Chat? He could do whatever he wanted, say whatever came to mind. He didn’t have a father’s pride to worry about, no crazy fans chasing after him any time he went outside. So of course his personality as Chat was more carefree and fun-loving. But he’d never taken the job less seriously than Marinette did.

 

She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Adrien and Chat were two sides of one coin, a perfect balance between respectable son and laidback teen.

 

Maybe Adrien wasn’t exactly as she’d thought he was, maybe he did have some obnoxious traits (The puns. Could he go _one battle_ without making puns?) but he was still the perfect gentlemen she’d fallen for. There was just…more to him, now. More for her to learn.

 

She trusted Chat with her life, and he was one of her best friends. It was going to be weird taking that relationship deeper, but it would be weird seeing where things went with Adrien, too.

 

She smiled and looked out over the skyline. Hopefully it would be a good weird.

 

That Saturday, she had her rescheduled interview with Keady Institute, and Chat appeared on her roof again that night and they spent hours talking over hot chocolate.

 

Sunday there was an akuma attack, and the only thing different was how her heart seized every time Chat took a hit. She was going to have to have a conversation with him about that.

 

When Marinette made it to school that Monday, there was a bouquet of pink dahlias waiting on her desk for her.

 

Yeah, this was a good weird.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know the romance is horrible I'm sorry I suck at anything romantic.   
> Hopefully the rest of it was okay?


End file.
